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MPA 1997 Award Winners and Judges' Comments
Cartoonist
First Place - Drew Dernavich - The Arlington Advocate. Two views of school that are quickly perceived. Well drawn. Good graphics. This easily stood out from the rest of the entries.
Second Place - Kevin Keane - Millis Suburban Press. Neat twist to the strip. Obviously Kevin knows his guns!
Third Place - Peter Menice - Marshfield Mariner. When all else fails cartoon the weather but winter should have disappeared by April 10. Good drawing.
Honorable Mention - Drew Dernavich - Belmont Citizen-Herald. Could be used for cutbacks in school budgets anywhere. Could use space more effectively.
Humor writing is like jury duty: many are called but few are chosen. The following columnists successfully laughed at society by laughing at themselves. As a result, I suspect these journalists made their community's smile.
First Place - Heather Anderson - North Shore Sunday. First place winner Heather Anderson ventured in the world of dating in the 90's with "The Anti-Rules: A love story". I appreciated her quick wit and comical writing style. Ms Anderson tackled the subject in a humorous manner but pointed out otherwise hidden social undercurrents.
Second Place - Dave Gradijan - Norfolk Suburban Press. "Remember the Days Before the Plastic Era?" by Dace Gradijan takes second place. His column reminds the reader just how far we've come in such a short time. The reader is also challenged to question the ink between technology and human progress.
Third Place - Greg Walsh - Swapscott Reporter. Greg Walsh talks to the child in all of us with "Ice Cream Man Conducts the Business of Summer". His youthful voice draws upon the angst adults confront upon the realization they are no longer children.
Honorable Mention - Elizabeth Dinan - "Tips for Next Year's Mr. Essex County" - North Shore Sunday. Who says the age of chivalry is dead? Certainly not Ms Dinan who gently but poignantly pokes fun at beauty pageants. Her satirical suggestion that men compete in the Essex beauty contest undoubtedly sent aprons flying across the county.
First Place - Marie Lingblom - Woburn Advocate - St. Charles' Parishioners Deserve Closure. Marie Lingblom has zeroed in on a sexual assault and battery charge involving two priests that has divided a local parish church for more than two years. She rightly points out how the Boston Catholic Archdiocese has avoided its responsibilities in the matter.
She does it in a straight forward manner that pulls no punches: giving facts, background, details. She writes "And I don't believe the Archdiocese doesn't already possess all of the information it needs to make a fair and just decision." She points out Cardinal Bernard Law's own promise, made over two years earlier, is at odds with the lack of a public decision now by the Archdiocese. She notes the destructive effect on the parishioners of the church's lack of leadership.
There are many that would leave an issue of this kind under wraps within the church. Marie Lingblom rightly brings forth, pointing out what is wrong.
Second Place - Ilan Fisher - Sharon Advocate - Eight Reasons For Not Telling. Swastikas, racial and ethnic slurs, anti-Semitism - all in the local schools. Ilan Fisher focuses on how such things get out of hand when adults fail to take action. She raises some pertinent questions. She has some solutions.
It's particularly galling when students who have been subjected to slurs report them to adults but nothing happens. The adults seems keener to win at sports rather than teach students right from wrong.
Third Place - Vera Laska - Wayland/Weston Town Crier - Memories Of Christmas. The memories of a Christmas spent in a Nazi concentration camp in Czechoslovakia by Dr. Vera Laska is still a story of hope, courage and the indomitable will to survive.
She tells how the prisoners made their own Christmas with a two foot branch as their Christmas tree. It was decorated with threads and figures made of bread crumbs.
Honorable Mention - Pauline Clark - Berkshire Record - Chair Germaine and Bob Tis - Beverly Citizen - Too Brief A Stay In August's Port
First Place - The Inquirer and Mirror - Shifting Sands, the Impact of Erosion. The winning entry is a fine example of community service. The 16-page tabloid published without advertising is well written; has dramatic photographs and informative graphics. If Nantucket Islanders weren't aware of the effects of storms and erosion on their shoreline, this special section would educate them quickly. It's a real community service by The Inquirer and Mirror.
Second Place - The Nantucket Beacon - Healthcare on Nantucket. The Nantucket Beacon undertook an eleven week series of articles and guest editorials on local health issues. This culminated in a two-day health forum with special speakers. It was a large and sustained effort that must have proved useful and informative for Beacon readers.
Third Place - Middlesex News - Health. Another special effort dealing with regional health issues was done by the Middlesex News. The special section was published on the Sunday prior to a forum on health. The section proved to be useful at this forum and ended up educating News readers.
Honorable Mention - The Arlington Advocate - Profiles in Diversity. A special series of articles that show some of the diversity of people in the community. The articles are by high school students. A bit of controversy involving one of the profiles drew a flood of letters to the editor.
First Place - Needham Times. There are many public officials who are too glad to hold their meetings behind closed doors. Despite their public positions, they still want to deprive the public of its right to know. It was refreshing therefore to find a public official like Joe Thisell who questioned the legality of some meetings over repairs for a local school. He didn't just question the matter, he went to the DA. The meetings were illegal. The Needham opinion's editorial points out the role of ensuring open government - an important issue at all times. As Thisell said "he would rather be open about his business and gain the trust of the people".
Second Place - The Register. A Matter of Respect shows that an editorial can be brief and still be effective. It questions the public permissiveness that allows a teacher to dodge being a "role model" to his students. It points out that his actions as a role model are the very opposite of what should be taught in schools.
Third Place - Wakefield Observer. The Wakefield Observer questions the leniency in dealing with a scarecrow burning incident where the scarecrow wore the number of a black player on the school football team. School officials downplayed to incident but the Observer rightly pointed out the historical significance of the gesture. It called for the suspension of all involved.
Honorable Mention - Millis Suburban Press. The Millis Suburban Press points out the consequences when everyone clams up when a senior policeman is suspended. The police chief won't talk. The selectman won't talk. As the Press pointed out the public has a right to know. It's the public that pays for the police force. It should know what is going on.
Honorable Mention - The Malden Observer. The Malden Observer deals with another police issue where the local force is seeking an opinion of how it should proceed in the case of a 911 emergency call. Why have a 911 system if the police aren't going to check the call fully?
First Place - Melrose Free Press - Editor: Lauren Keefe
Second Place - Bedford Minuteman - Editor: Michael R Linskey
Third Place - Nantucket Beacon - Editor: Don Constanzo
Honorable Mention - Burlington Union - Editor: Fredi Heinemann
It was difficult to judge this part of the competition because the majority of the editorial pages were carbon copies of each other. Just because newspapers are owned by the same organization, shouldn't mean that each has to conform to an identical layout.
These editorial pages contained the same layout, same white-on-black headlines and some even contained some of the same material. It was great to see papers like the Nantucket Beacon, and to a lesser degree the Melrose Free Press, daring to be different.
Despite the carbon copy layout, these editorial pages contained strong editorials, enjoyable and informative columns and were an all-around good read. It was great to see many of these papers giving ample rooms for letters-to-the-editor, an important part of every newspaper.
To the Bedford Minuteman; I thoroughly enjoyed Mike Linskey's column. I hope he is a regular contributor to the paper.
The Melrose Free Press had strong editorials, a fresh lay-out and two pages of letters-to-the-editor which gave it the edge over its competition. Subscribers would want to read the editorial pages of the Melrose Free Press.
First Place - Malden Observer - Editor: Lauren Keefe
Second Place - The Allston-Brighton TAB - Editor: David Trueblood
Third Place - Beverly Citizen - Editor: Anne Scadding
These tabloids put to rest the old rumor that it is difficult to publish a sharp looking tabloid, with strong headlines and high quality lay-out.
The Malden Observer and The Allston-Brighton TAB received the nod because of their content and appearance. The Observer and the Allston-Brighton TAB have a modern, fresh design but they also have more than that packed into their editorial pages. The editorials focus-in on what matters in their community - a local editorial is so important to a community newspaper.
Tabloids in Massachusetts seem to be putting more priority on its Speak Out section than its letters-to-the-editor. Speak Out is a novel idea where readers can call the readers involved in the paper but shouldn't come at the expense of the letters-to-the-editor section. Also, these quotes or "quick-takes" should be signed. Newspapers are finally moving away from the days when letters-to-the-editor were published with pen names. This section is no different.. If someone has a comment to make, a bouquet to give a barb to send in someone's direction, they should be prepared to let their name stand beside it.
Like their broadsheet counter-parts, too many papers share the same lay-out and design on their editorial pages.
First Place - Elizabeth Dinan -...nothing left to lose - North Shore Sunday. Ms Dinan shows the human side of homeless life in her story of an alcoholic veteran and his will to live his own life in any way he sees fit. The story is presented in a compelling fashion, its impact is clear to the community and captures the readers attention from the first paragraph.
Second Place - Craig S Borges - A Mother's Undying Love - Taunton Daily Gazette. Mr. Borges paints a picture of a mother's need to recognize the fact that her daughter, who suffers from a rare disease, is oblivious to the outside world. The story is interesting and captures the readers attention from the start. It's impact on the community is clear as the story shows the pain of both the family as well as the daughter who now resides in a hospital.
Third Place - Larry Bean - Witness to the execution - Natick Bulletin. Mr. Bean touches on a subject that is prevalent in American society, but one that many are ignorant of. Presentation and writing are crisp and clean and he easily makes the reader think they are actually in the room when the switch is pulled and the execution begins. He explains the convicted killer's role and how he now faces execution.
Honorable Mention - Matt McDonald - Register. Mr. McDonald's feature on a military style boot camp for inmates serving 2 1/2 years or less in prison is a story that could be written about any town in America where crime is high. Mr. McDonald didn't just write the story but spent 16 hours in the camp to write from the inmates' perspective.
First Place - Middlesex News. On the front page alone, there is a story for everyone such as sports, kids, and history. The picture above the fold would grab anyone's attention and make them want to read the paper.
Second Place - Burlington Union. The photos are great and the lead story's headline is sure to capture the potential reader's eye. This was surely a winner.
Third Place - Daily Times Chronicle. Received third place because of their outstanding photos. A potential reader would have to pick this paper up and take a look.
First Place - Norfolk Suburban Press. The layout is very appealing to the eye and the front page picture above the fold is fantastic and it would certainly attract the attention of anyone at the newsstand.
Second Place - Needham Times. Although not very newsy, the layout is great - the reader can follow the stories without getting lost. The size of the headlines are good and would attract the eye.
Third Place - The Swapscott Reporter. Chosen as the third place winner for front page tabloid because the process color photos were fantastic - news, sports, and kids, this paper has it all.
Honorable Mention - The Landmark. The Landmark was chosen as honorable mention in this category because the picture of the ostrich is excellent. This photo was a real "show stopper" and as a potential reader, I would have to pick up this paper for a second look.
General Excellence - over 4,000 circulation
We had to go over all the entries several times because it was so difficult to come up with the final winners. It wasn't an easy task but it was certainly enjoyable. Most of the papers seem to serve their communities and their readers effectively.
One of the difficulties facing the judges was deciding which papers were part of newspaper chains. Some carried extra sections obviously because of the newspaper group connection. Ultimately we simply decide on the whole package in front of us - after all that's what the reader receives.
First Place - The Inquirer and Mirror. There doesn't seem to be much going on in Nantucket that isn't reported on, commented upon and photographed weekly in the pages of The Inquirer and Mirror.
The paper is an exciting mix of hard news stories; human interest and features; articles on all aspects of the arts and entertainment and strong coverage of sports. It even carries stories of Nantucket residents when they travel or work abroad, if there's interest in what they are doing.
One of the two issues was particularly interesting because it covered Hurricane Edouardo. As expected, there were dramatic pictures of smashed boats lying on the shore and uprooted trees that damaged buildings but it was the wide choice of stories that accompanied the pictures that made the coverage so gripping.
The Inquirer and Mirror really seems to care for its community. It's prepared to take an editorial stand even if it means substantial controls on commercial development. Other viewpoints are encouraged and the wide selection of letters to the editor show there are lots of interested readers.
The paper has an unusual look with its extra wide pages but it's in keeping with the community. The look of the paper has the flavor of earlier times, this is Nantucket after all, yet the coverage and commentaries are right up to the minute.
An excellent community newspaper that serves its readers well. The Veritas, the student newspaper for Nantucket High School, is carried as a regular monthly insert. It's probably no coincidence that the Veritas is a national award winner in high school journalism. Certainly it's also a very interesting addition to The Inquirer and Mirror.
Second Place - Nantucket Beacon. Nantucket is a fortunate community because the second place winner is also from there. The competition between the Nantucket Beacon and The Inquirer and Mirror is obviously keen. It certainly produces two excellent community newspapers.
The Beacon is an attractive package of news stories, event reports, pictures, editorials and commentaries. It shows that news coverage isn't dependent on just sitting around and reporting scheduled meetings. The feature on the opening of the scallop season "Pursuit of Tasty Home-grown Gem Begins" and the people involved in scalloping shows there's an interesting copy anywhere around town! The colored, front page photo with the story stood out because of its unusual angle.
Nothing earthshaking just interesting copy. Many newspapers carry a feature where readers sound off by phoning in their comments. The Beacon improves on this by having a reporter follow up on the comments and report the results. Sometimes it may take several weeks to supply the answers. It's much more useful than just the sound off views.
Third Place - The Country Gazette. The Country Gazette may not be the flashiest but it has the right ingredients - solid news coverage.
It sees part of its role as covering the news beyond the immediate town boundary. The extensive feature Working the Land in Gazette Country shows this.
The Gazette uses a guest editorial in addition to its own editorials, written by some qualified local resident, to add an extra dimension to the op ed page. This is something almost any paper could copy.
Honorable Mention - The Arlington Advocate. This is a colorful, well laid out and readable community newspaper with strong, colorful photography.
General Excellence - under 4,000 circulation
Many of the papers didn't get their reports out into the community. Most reported on officialdom whether it's the selectmen, the police or the school system. But there's so much more going on in a community. Reporters can't learn about these sitting behind a desk or stroking a telephone.
A community newspaper has to go out and talk to a broad cross section of the community and listen to what people are talking about. That will direct the reporters to stories with strong reader interest. All communities have stories galore. They may not be earthshaking but when reported and written up will add a zing to the pages.
Some newspapers seem to depend for their news coverage on press releases and sending reporters to the scheduled meetings. Even a couple of stories a week that aren't the usual run-of-the-mill will quickly attract more readers and make the newspaper more interesting and readable.
First Place - Bourne Courier. A reader friendly newspaper offering surprises unlike its flashier, heftier competitors. It tells of the unusual; the special; the different; the newsworthy.
It isn't just interested in reporting the scheduled events of the community establishment. Sure, it reported on the selectman, the schools, the sewage treatment problems but it also went beyond those.
There are many happenings in a community that don't fit into a weekly schedule but which are still newsworthy. The Buzzards Make Spring Return to Bourne with pictures is an example. So is the story of local residents who are already angry at local trains.
The Courier staff seems to get out into the community to hear what is going on and then go back and write it up. It makes for am interesting variety of news stories.
But the Bourne Courier puts the personal touch into its columns and commentaries too. Managing editor Evan J Albright's very personal column, Bourne Journal, adds to the friendly readability of the editorial page. Isn't his column 'Keeping up with the Changes on the Courier' staff changes so much more readable and informative than the usual deadly dull appointment notice?
Bourne Courier readers are fortunate. They have a community newspaper that serves them and their community well.
Second Place - Maynard Beacon. Big, bright and colorful. Lots of news of the community - the schools, town government, the police, the library, garbage disposal, tax assessment - important topics for local readership.
There's pertinent editorials and commentaries on local issues. The editorial in the October 17 issues is particularly important as it deals with the very real problem of vandalism and harassment in the local schools.
I liked the front page human interest stories that added a personal touch to the more serious news coverage.
The photographic coverage is also eye-catching, capturing local events and individuals in action filled photos.
However, it is in its sports coverage that Beacon excels. The coverage is thorough with game reports, sports statistics, features on developments in particular sports and lots of active sports pictures.
If the news coverage had been as thorough as the sports coverage, the Beacon might well have placed first.
The Beacon offers a very readable package of news, comments, display and classified advertising that is well designed and laid out.
Third Place - The Berkshire Record. The Berkshire Record really lives up to its name. It certainly seems to record the many happenings of the community. There's an attractive feel to the whole coverage in the paper. It even uses some originality in developing coverage in involving readers in its Would you go to bat for the Pittsfield Mets?
There's a good mix of news and comments with some interesting photos. The Berkshire Record plays up its photographs with well cropped, large shots unlike many entries which seems to skimp on the space it gave to photographs.
Honorable Mention - Tri-Town Transcript and Natick Bulletin
In-Depth/Enterprise News Story
First Place - T.J. Medrek Jr. - Newton TAB. All the cliché's worked for the In-Depth Enterprise Category. the competition was indeed stiff with a wide range of entries. In the end, I kept coming back to T.J. Medrek's story "Arts Salaries: A question of balance". Using numerous sources, including IRS returns, the Newton TAB reporter compiled salaries paid to administrative heads of nonprofit arts organizations. What the story showed is the discrepancy between salaries paid to the boss and the salaries paid to the artists who generate the revenue for the nonprofit organizations. The story benefited from an easy to read layout and wonderful illustrations. More arts reporting should take a close look at Medrek's story to see arts reporting doesn't need to be fluff.
Second Place - Doug Fraser - The Cape Codder. Fraser and photographer Barry Donahue spent a week aboard a fishing vessel as it sailed to the fishing grounds of Georges Bank. Fraser catches the reader right from the start of his two part series: "The bottom line is this- Georges Bank kills people". A great read and wonderful pictures. However, I did find some of the layout cumbersome in that the pictures seemed to overpower the story.
Third Place - Peter Brace and Reema Sheery - The Nantucket Beacon. Anytime a weekly paper comes out with an "Extra" edition it's deserving of recognition. The eight page tabloid extra was published at the end of a year long controversy over a proposed mega-development. The Beacon published the Extra after local officials finally turned down to development. The paper provided excellent coverage of an important local issue.
Honorable Mentions - North Shore Sunday, Elizabeth Dinan who literally crawled through garbage for her story "Talking Trash" and Linda Rosencrance of The Allston Brighton TAB for her piece "Child Molester Hired to Care for Children". The story outlined how a convicted female child molester managed to become hired at a local boys and girls club. It was an excellent piece of investigative journalism.
Only In Massachusetts. There were many strong, engaging entries in this category, and the three judges, all professors of journalism at Boston University, were divided in their favorites.
After long deliberation, however, they were still divided, so came up with a tie, between The Nantucket Inquirer series on new arrivals to the island and the Cape Codder's special section on the moving of Nauset Light. Both of these strong efforts were the combined product of editors, writers, graphic designers and photographers.
First Place - (tie) The New Nantucketers by Michael Meehan, Julia Fairclough, Evan L. Zall, and Joshua Balling - The Nantucket Inquirer. According to an editor's note which preceded each part of this series, "Nantucket has gained one new year-round resident every other day during the first half of the 1990's". The series was designed to find out who some of these newcomers are and why they chose island life. Judge's Comments - "The series got to me in a cumulative way. . . All these people came alive for me as I read their reasons for coming to Nantucket to live, and why they are staying... or perhaps not staying. I liked the idea that there were four different writers doing nine articles, and each piece had a different flavor. It was small, straightforward, and about the flinty individuals who make up Massachusetts."
First Place - (tie) The Moving of Nauset Light by a team from the Cape Codder, presented in a special section, with the main stories written by Doug Fraser; photos by Sherry V Pires, Barry Donahue, Bill Quinn, and John Schram, with additional archival photos; illustrations by Bruce Christopher, and "In Their Own Words" rememberances from people who had lived and played near the Nauset Light. A beautifully researched and written package, complemented by excellent photos and graphics presentation. The staff articles are enhanced by the historic research and the recollections of people who lived Cape Cod history alongside the lighthouse."
Second Place - A three-part series in The Franklin Country Gazette - Working the Land in Gazette Country. Part I: Fertile land now grows houses, not vegetables by Erich Luening, Part II: As others disappear, some family farms prosper by Heather A Swails and Part III: For modern farmers, 'agri-tourism' is the way to go by Fiona Molloy. Judge's Comments: "A thorough, well-researched and written three-part account of the clashes of rural and ex-urban cultures, told in a compelling way by the three reporters who informed readers about the agricultural past of their area and how some people are managing to hold on and adapt even as pressures mount to subdivide the land."
Honorable Mention - The Farm Team - Elizabeth Dinan - North Shore Sunday. An in-depth look at the North Shore 'cow college', and what its students spend their time doing. Relevant because officials of the school want to expand it, while country politicians are seeking ways to economically consolidate institutions of higher learning. Well-told with lots of vignettes and solid information;
A-Haunting we will go - Alison Cohen - Hanover Mariner - Hats off to Alison Cohen's witty compilation of local ghost stories in the Hanover mariner. This article on haunted houses was made by good writing, full of humor, long and detailed but never dull, informative, and, best of all, it made the ghosts come alive;
Living in the Past - Kathleen Cordeiro - Westford Eagle. An intriguing look at a historic house , circa 1656, and the modern-day family which is restoring it. The writer made food use of historic sources as well as interviews and observations to craft an intriguing "only in New England Feature";
In the Good Old Summertime - The Arlington Advocate. Showcased historic photographs and delved into the details of the long-ago structures, ponds, hills, neighborhoods, people and lifestyles shown in the old images. A charming series that retold town history in a genteel and flavorful manner;
Bogged Down in Berries - Timothy Kane, photos by Sue Sickler - The Chelmsford Independent. Beautiful conception, composition, execution; and
Marilyn Spencer - Wayland-Weston Town Crier. A nod to Marilyn Spencer for figuring out a good way to publicize and package the many Nutcracker photos of children that trickle in each holiday season. She's already had one reward, however. As she wrote on her entry, "no complaints this year about coverage!"
Promotion. In judging the four entries in this category, we decided to award first and second place finishes.
First Place - Pittsfield Gazette - Thank-You Pencils Promotion. We felt that the paper really tried (and succeeded!) to encourage kids to read the paper. Everyone loves to see their name in print, and to a child it holds a special meaning. We also felt it was a great way to increase circulation, as members of the children's families would purchase the paper to see the kid's letters.
Second Place - The Inquirer and Mirror - Preserve A Piece Of Nantucket. The photos were very pleasing to the eye and the idea of the newspaper pledging $5000 to save a local "Green Area" through subscription and advertising sales lent to a real "Community Newspaper" feeling.
Special Issue. With 22 entries to choose from, judging the best of the best was no easy feat. Although some beautiful processed color covers grabbed our eye, under closer inspection we finally finished up with these results:
First Place - Marathon News - Middlesex News. The cover grabbed us the moment we saw it and upon closer inspection, we had both decided this was our winner.
Second Place - Back To School - The Landmark. Once again, we were totally impressed by the creativity displayed by the editorial and advertising staff, on what would normally be considered a "not so exciting" supplement. the photos were great and tie-in advertising ideas will be used at our own paper come mid-August.
Third Place - Maynard 125th Anniversary - Maynard Beacon. This special section certainly deserves an award. We have all worked, at one time or another, on a commemorative issue, and finding it is no easy task. We felt that the Maynard Beacon definitely handled this task to the very best of their ability. Great photos and a good number of theme-related ads gives this supplement our third place decision.
Honorable Mention - The Inquirer & Mirror - Super Bowl Edition; The Cambridge Chronicle - 150th Anniversary; Nantucket Beacon - Voter's Guide and Westwood Suburban Press - Westwood's 100th Edition
First Place - Mike Hardman-Mansfield News-Mr. Todd, Just a Moment Please" A smartly written feature on a high school football player destined for bigger things. Not a new angle, but the story is well written. Like any good feature, the writer captures readers early and never lets go. The writer brings you right into the head of the player - what he is thinking as he is waiting for the game to start. A great read.
Second Place - Adam Frattasio-Natick Bulletin- "Hail to the Jr. Chiefs" This story could have easily won this category. A feature about a young wrestling squad, complete with superb pictures and good layout. What is best about this feature is that it deals with a topic that is often avoided - wrestling. All too often baseball and football take center stage. A very close second.
Third Place - Chad Konecky - The Allston-Brighton TAB - "Boxing Love Alive in Brighton" Another great story about a famous man in the community - the basis of a great weekly paper. You get to know the former prize fighter from the story, you live his legacy and you can almost see him throwing jabs and you appreciate his efforts to help aspiring young boxers. Excellent.
Honorable Mention - Three writers deserve praise, although they didn't place in the top three. Sean Gibbon's feature on fishing, from the Nantucket Beacon, was a fun read. Once again it dealt with a topic all too often overlooked. Fishing is a great sport and this was a great story, with a great photo. Sean Doyle of the Marblehead Reporter had a great feature on a hockey coach resigning his post because parents had interfered with his ability to get his job done. A good angle because all features don't have to be about "good news". That is also why I liked the feature that appeared in the Stoneham Sun, written by Jeff Lemburg and Eliot Schickler. The feature contained reasons why a young football league had folded. A difficult angle, but a worthwhile venture.
First Place - Tom Curran- The News Tribune. Curran's columns were consistent, interesting, informative and well-written. The column on the young person who drowned in the 1930's was excellent. Often times sports columnists will deal only with what is happening today and comment on how they see things. This was refreshing. Far and away the best sports columnist in your Association.
Second Place - Mike Diegnan -Maynard Beacon. Though not worthy of the top spot, Diegnan also had a great consistency. His column on the auction at the Boston Garden was funny and insightful. Enjoyable and I'm sure readers can't wait to pick up the sports pages and see this column.
Third Place - Robert Fucci - The Middleboro Gazette. Great name - Around the horn. Great topics - youth in sport, the added pressure they get at home and the lack of respect that can stem from that pressure. Enjoyable and well-written.
Sports Section. Few of the sports sections carried any local sports columnists. Couldn't this add some local flavor and editorial comment about the community sports scene?
First Place - The Arlington Advocate. The Arlington Advocate adds impact to its sports coverage with a number of colored shots. There's an attempt to provide coverage of some of the less popular sports in addition to the traditional seasonal ones.
Second Place - The Daily Transcript. In a way it's difficult to compare a daily with weekly newspapers but The Daily Transcript earns second place. It gives strong coverage to girls' sports unlike some of the other entries. It has strong action photos.
Third Place - The Berkshire Record. The Berkshire Record covers the usual sports but also adds extra coverage of sports like men's canoeing and girls' lacrosse. It also uses some large sports action photos.
First Place - Joseph Domelowicz Jr. - Winthrop Sun-Transcript. He alertly recognized a story that may have otherwise gone untold. An elected school committee in his community had broken the law behind closed doors. His story was supported too when the paper ran the complete text of the open meeting law on an inside page.
Fires, robberies, rapes, and accidents are all spot news and many times it's a case of the reporter being in the right place at the right time to get the story but Joseph Domelowicz Jr. recognized what wasn't obvious to everyone else. That's what makes his entry clearly the number 1 winner
Second Place - Anthony Fyden - Pittsfield Gazette. Second place goes to Anthony Fyden for his story on the homeless. The ho-hum process in reporting there kinds of stories is to talk to officials, leaders in the community, care-givers etc. but Fyden went to the streets and talked to the victims. His presentation was interesting in that he not only used quotes given to him as a reporter, but he used parts of conversations the homeless had among themselves. This gives the readers more than the obvious question-answer story, it offers the readers a little bit more of what's really happening out there - refreshing presentation.
Third Place - Rebecca Lipchitz - North Andover Citizen. She tells the story of a teenager who was killed while playing a game of chicken with a commuter train. Rather than giving the readers a list of statistics and dwelling on the danger of such a game, Lipchitz focused on the dead youth, his family and his friends. Stats have their place in a story like this one of course, but the young man was dead and a grieving community doesn't need to hear about the number of fatalities that have occurred in the past 20 or 30 years, they need to hear about the person who died - their friend. The story was well written and presented tastefully along with photos.
